We believe that providing access to meaningful and understandable information is an important service the MountainKeepers can offer. Land development and use in Watauga County is currently a topic that has reached a level of high concern to a wide spectrum of Watauga County residents. Non-biased and objective information about how land use and related issues such as value and ownership are evolving throughout the county seems to be information that could be of value. To that end, we have commissioned the"Forces of Change" Project.
How much did land cover change in Watauga County between 1986 and 1999? (How much development occurred during that period?)
What forces drove that change? (and continue to influence land cover change in Watauga County?)
This report was generated by a private company and was funded by a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
Two versions of the report are available.
The first version is the Complete Report containing both the text and maps in one file. This version is a very large file and will take a very long time to download unless you have a broadband connection to the internet (DSL or cable).
The second version presents the information via a number of smaller files, with the report text in one file and each map in a separate file.
Both are in Adobe PDF Format, therefore, you need Adobe Accrobat Reader to download them. If you do not have Adobe Accrobat Reader you can download it by clicking the "Get Adobe Reader" icon below.
The two versions of the report are found below:
1. Complete Forces of Change Report
2. Forces of Change by Component File
- Forces of Change Text
- Map 1: Watauga County Slope Map
- Map 2: Watauga County Topography and Hydrography
- Map 3: Watauga County Communities
- Map 4: Watauga County Subdivisions 1980
- Map 5: Watauga County Subdivisions 2001
- Map 6: Watauga County Average Land Value per Acre by Township (2001)
- Map 7: Watauga County Average Land Value per Acre by Township
Including Subdivisions (2001)- Map 8: Watauga County 1986 Land Cover Assessment
- Map 9: Watauga County 1999 Land Cover Assessment
- Map 10: Watauga County Protected Lands
- Map 11: North Carolina - Percent of Vacant Housing Designated for
Seasonal, Recreational, or Occasional Use 2000- Map 12: Watauga County Resident vs. Non-Resident Landowners
- Map 13: Traffic Increases, 1986-1999
- Map 14: Watauga County Farmland Preservation Propertie